Music

Welcome to ONU Music!

Making a career choice is challenging. You might ask yourself: “Should I really major in an arts-related field?” “Will I be able to make a living?” “What can ONU offer me that other liberal arts institutions cannot?”

We love to boast about our many successful graduates from the ONU Music Department! These talented individuals and their stories speak for themselves. The “Alumni Profiles” link on this page will connect you with just a few of our thriving graduates who are now forging a path in their musical and artistic arenas.

The ONU Music Department is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, with superb academics and top-notch faculty, excellent ensemble performance experiences, a dynamic musical theater program that provides opportunities to perform on stage and in the pit, and faculty and staff with connections to such venues as the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera Company, internship experiences with pedagogues such as Malcolm Bilson, and the Climax Jazz Band of Toronto, to name only a few.

We offer a wide variety of programs, including the Bachelor of Music in Music Performance with or without a concentration in Theory/Composition or Music History/Literature, the Bachelor of Music in Music Education, or the Bachelor of Arts in Music with concentrations in Theory/Composition, Music History/Literature, or Applied Studies, as well as the music minor.

ONU music faculty hold degrees from such prestigious institutions as The University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, The Cleveland Institute of Music, The Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, the Berlin Konservatorium, the Interlochen Arts Academy, The Ohio State University, The University of Arts Berlin, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, The University of Dayton, The “George Dima” Academy of Music in Romania, and Mannes College of Music. Our small class sizes, entrepreneurial approach, accessible and caring faculty, and a vibrant and exciting learning environment ensure that the ONU Music Department provides rigorous challenges to fully equip our students to excel in a competitive musical world. We strive meet students at their current level and help them reach their top potential as musicians, teachers, and scholars. The ONU Music department also enjoys special study-abroad and student-teaching relationships with the Estonian Academy of Music and the University of Salford in Manchester, England. Our many bands, choirs, and orchestral groups have toured all over the world, including China, Germany, New Zealand, and Mexico, just to mention a few.

Audition in person: January 17, January 31, February 14, February 21, March 14, 2015. You can also audition by appointment, or upload your audition at any time on Acceptd.com on our website from wherever you are, all over the world. Substantial talent and academic awards are available through a successful audition. An overnight stay with one of our music majors is always recommended—get a real taste of our college and campus life! We can arrange for you to have lessons with our superb faculty, attend classes, and observe our rehearsals and performances.

For our musician friends who are not music majors but who wish to continue their musical experiences, there are non-major talent awards available by audition. Contact Dr. Rebecca Casey for details, and upload your audition on Acceptd.com. Deadline is February 28, 2015.